A Lapse of Judgement
A Lapse of Judgement is a case featured in Criminal Case, it appears as the twenty-fourth case in The Syndicate and the twenty-second case overall. It takes place as the fourth case in the Arcadia Strip district of Easthaven. Plot Following Nancy's discovery that bouncer Frank Blossom had resigned from his post, the team elected to question him. Raymond then partnered the player with Grayson and suggested the pair head to the boulevard with haste. Later, as they neared a waxworking shop, Grayson suspected something was amiss and asked they investigate. There, they found the body of infamous lawyer Sebastian Cross, known for his cutthroat intelligence and lack of emotion, dead, covered in wax outside his wife's workshop. Daphne first commended the killer on their ingenuity, before revealing that Sebastian was killed after the wax was poured down his oesophagus. They first questioned the victim's wife, waxworker Miranda Cross, before suspecting Valentini patriarch Lorenzo Valentini, who openly admitted to having the victim on his payroll, and Frank himself. Later on, Matthew and Mildred admitted they frequented the nightclubs in Arcadia Strip and that they recognized the victim, revealing that Sebastian was a drag queen by night. Visibly shocked by the discovery, Grayson admitted he never expected Sebastian to be a drag queen, prompting Matthew to remind him that appearances can be deceiving. The pair then revealed that Sebastian was set to perform at a show later that day and handed over their tickets. After questioning Miranda and discovering she was outraged at her husband's nightly activities, they suspected gay rights activist Marsha P. Johnson and makeup artist Estelle Meunier. It was also discovered that Lorenzo wasn't paying Sebastian for his work, but rather threatening to reveal his secret unless he worked as their personal lawyer. As the team recapped, minus Velma who was once again missing from the precinct, Nancy rushed in and insisted her life was danger. Nancy insisted that she'd found a recording device inside her shoe, revealing her family had been recording her conversations with the team. Barbara offered to protect Nancy in her house temporarily while the team investigated Sebastian's murder, soon arming herself and hiding Nancy away. It was also discovered that Sebastian was crafting a case to slander Frank, so whatever he said would be disbelieved, and that Sebastian was paying to support Estelle after her brother's death. Marsha also insisted that she pleaded with Sebastian to unite his two lives and promised he'd be happier, but understood when he angrily refused. Finally, they exposed Estelle as the killer. At the show, Estelle told them she didn't have time for further questions as she was preparing the performers. Grayson then slid Estelle their findings and she sighed, confessing soon after. Estelle knew she shouldn't have done what she did, but couldn't control the anger. She recounted how Sebastian had bonded with her over his drag persona and they became close, resulting in Sebastian even paying to support Estelle following her depression and her brother's death. Estelle then insisted that Sebastian was a backstabber and a liar; revealing that her brother was a key witness to incriminate a Valentini. She revealed he was murdered by one of the Valentini's fixers and when the case went to court, Sebastian destroyed the prosecution and the fixer went free. Feeling guilty for his actions, Sebastian started paying Estelle, but it didn't satisfy her rage. Grief-stricken and feeling betrayed, Estelle bashed Sebastian over the head. Knowing she'd be charged for assault, Estelle took him to his wife's workshop and killed him with the wax in hopes of pointing the detectives at Miranda. In court, Estelle pleaded guilty to all charges and insisted she'd made a mistake. Taking Estelle's remorse into consideration, Judge Watson sentenced Estelle to eight years in prison. Outside the courtroom, Velma apologised for her absence but insisted she knew why. She explained that she'd been sick in the morning again and come to a realization; she was pregnant. Velma excitedly spoke about her baby, before Jake rushed in and insisted that he'd heard word from his old contacts in the homeless community; Lorenzo had declared open season on Nancy for her betrayal and the first to tie up her loose end would receive a large payment. They then spoke to Barbara and Nancy again, where the latter revealed she'd be willing to help build a case against her family, if she survived long enough. Barbara then revealed that, to keep Nancy safe, they'd need to sever connections with her and house her in an unknown location, so she couldn't be traced through the team. After William organized a stay at a motel via cash payment, the team decided to ask Frank for his help in protecting Nancy. They returned to the boulevard where they found Frank packing up, preparing to leave Easthaven forever. Eventually, they persuaded Frank to protect Nancy at the motel. Frank then insisted he was tired of the Valentini's rule over the criminal underworld and it was time they paid for their crimes, vowing to assist the team until they could be brought down. They then thanked Frank for his service gratefully. Meanwhile, Velma started panicking and insisted that she had no idea how to break the news to her boyfriend, Vinnie Anderson. After agreeing with Jake's idea of presenting a babygro to Vinnie, they headed to the drag show due to the rack of clothes. There, Velma and the player eventually found a pile of clothes which Velma wanted to use to make the babygro. After consulting with Raymond's wife, Caroline Henderson, she stitched together the fabrics and returned the babygro to the expecting mother. Finally, they broke the news to a shocked Vinnie, who couldn't believe what he was hearing. Eventually, the pair kissed and admitted they were excited to bring their child into the world. Finally, as Raymond instructed the team to work tirelessly into the Valentini case before the fixers could get to Nancy, Matthew's boyfriend, Noah White, raced in. The journalist then insisted he'd just heard from his sources; the motel Nancy was hiding at had been attacked in a drive-by! Summary Victim *'Sebastian Cross' (found framed and covered in boiling wax) Murder Weapon *'Wax' Killer *'Estelle Meunier' Suspects Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads tarot cards. *The suspect knows art. *The suspect has had plastic surgery. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has wax stains. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads tarot cards. *The suspect knows art. *The suspect has had plastic surgery. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads tarot cards. *The suspect knows art. *The suspect has had plastic surgery. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect has wax stains. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads tarot cards. *The suspect knows art. *The suspect has had plastic surgery. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears lipstick. Suspect's Profile *The suspect reads tarot cards. *The suspect knows art. *The suspect has had plastic surgery. Suspect's Appearance *The suspect wears lipstick. *The suspect has wax stains. Quasi-Suspect(s) Killer's Profile *The killer reads tarot cards. *The killer knows art. *The killer has had plastic surgery. *The killer wears lipstick. *The killer has wax stains. Crime Scenes Steps Chapter 1 *Investigate Main Boulevard. (Clues: Victim's Body, Faded Sign, Guitar Case) *Examine Faded Sign. (Result: Weird and Wonderful Wax Shop; New Crime Scene: Wax Workshop) *Investigate Wax Workshop. (Clues: Bucket, Broken Wax, Toolbox) *Examine Bucket. (Result: Wedding Ring) *Analyze Wedding Ring. (06:00:00; New Suspect: Miranda Cross) *Inform Miranda of her husband's death outside her workshop. *Examine Broken Wax. (Result: Family Sigil; New Suspect: Lorenzo Valentini) *Confront Lorenzo on the death of his lawyer. *Examine Guitar Case. (Result: Blazer) *Examine Blazer. (Result: F BLOSSOM; New Suspect: Frank Blossom) *See if Frank ever met Sebastian Cross. *Examine Toolbox. (Result: Funnel) *Analyze Funnel. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer knows art) *Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer reads tarot cards) *Go to Chapter 2. (No stars) Chapter 2 *See if Miranda knew of her husband's double life. (Attribute: Miranda knows art) *Investigate Drag Show. (Clues: Faded Poster, Clothes Pile, Torn Fabric) *Examine Faded Poster. (Result: Movement Poster; New Suspect: Marsha P. Johnson) *Question Marsha on the victim's double identity. (Attribute: Marsha reads tarot cards) *Examine Clothes Pile. (Result: Makeup Brushes) *Analyze Makeup Brushes. (05:00:00; New Suspect: Estelle Meunier) *Hear about the victim's drag persona from Estelle. (Attribute: Estelle reads tarot cards and knows art, Miranda reads tarot cards) *Examine Torn Fabric. (Result: Wax Glove) *Analyze Wax Glove. (08:00:00; Attribute: The killer has had plastic surgery; New Crime Scene: Wax Workshop Entrance) *Investigate Wax Workshop Entrance. (Clue: Briefcase) *Examine Briefcase. (Result: Faded Photo) *Examine Faded Photo. (Result: Writing) *Confront Lorenzo over blackmailing the victim. (Attribute: Lorenzo reads tarot cards, knows art, and has had plastic surgery) *Go to Chapter 3. (No stars) Chapter 3 *Investigate Clothes Rack. (Clues: Ineligible Sheet, Pearls, Folder) *Examine Ineligible Sheet. (Result: Mind Map) *Analyze Mind Map. (07:00:00) *Ask Marsha about reassuring the victim. (Attribute: Marsha knows art and has had plastic surgery) *Examine Pearls. (Result: Expensive Necklace) *Ask Estelle how she could afford the necklace. (Attribute: Estelle has had plastic surgery, Miranda has had plastic surgery) *Examine Folder. (Result: Sebastian's Case) *Confront Frank over the victim's slander case. (Attribute: Frank reads tarot cards, knows art, and has had plastic surgery) *Investigate Wax Statues. (Clues: Waxworking Tools, Broken Pieces) *Examine Waxworking Tools. (Result: Chisel) *Analyze Chisel. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears lipstick) *Examine Broken Pieces. (Result: Wax Mould) *Analyze Wax Mould. (08:00:00; Attribute: The killer has wax stains) *Take care of the killer now! *Go to What Happens in Arcadia Strip... (4/5). (No stars) What Happens in Arcadia Strip... (4/5) *Hear Barbara's idea. (Reward: 20,000 Coins) *Analyze Motel Stay. (05:30:00) *Investigate Main Boulevard. (Clue: Suitcase) *Examine Suitcase. (Result: Flight Ticket) *Examine Flight Ticket. (Result: Boarding Pass) *Analyze Boarding Pass. (06:00:00) *Ask Frank to protect Nancy. (Reward: Burger) *Listen to Velma's worries. *Investigate Clothes Rack. (Clue: Props Trunk) *Examine Props Trunk. (Result: Clothing) *Analyze Clothing. (08:00:00) *Present the babygro to Vinnie. (New Quasi-Suspect: Noah White) *Hear Noah's announcement. (Reward: Drag Outfit) *Move onto a new crime! (1 star) Navigation Category:All Fanmade Cases Category:Cases in The Syndicate Category:Arcadia Strip